85

Great game with normal difficult settings.

Back then games weren't so easy like nowadays. Each of them required from player to become better with next level/part of game, so it would be exciting. It would also demand from player to be better as he plays the game. Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines is a game like that. Notice that setting of the game in the time of WW2 and playing as small squad of elite troopers trying to get "Behind Enemy Lines" seem like not easy task. So each of those troopers have their unique skills - one can use explosion materials, while other can disguise himself as enemy's soldier. You will need to think of really good strategy and use of each trooper skills, because without that, you will be killed with few bullets. And no, you will not respawn few seconds later, you will in most cases need to start from beginning. The only thing I never managed to try out is multiplayer. Despite the fact it doesn't have multiplayer listed in modes, you can play this one with some friends. Maybe some day I will try it. If you are looking for something challenging, a game that need from you a great tactics and strategy - get Commandos.

74

A difficult but rewarding game

Commandos was the first of its type that I played. It's a real time tactical game set in WW2, where you control a small team of 'elite' units in order to complete various objectives (blowing up Nazi camps etc). Each of the units have their own special abilities, whether they be being able to carry large items (like barrels), create traps, climb walls etc which you will need to utilise in order to complete the missions.
It has a classic graphical style, which works well, the sound is nothing to write home about. The gameplay itself can be very good, but I must warn you, it is not an easy game (at least not to me!), do not expect just to waltz your way through the missions or have your hand held/have the AI help you. It's a game that rewards careful planning and well timed execution, incredibly satisfying when you pull something off, but annoying when you (more often than not for me) don't.
If you have played Desperados then this is the game that is based off (I think). Well worth playing if calm and calculated is your style, just be prepared to die, a lot!

83

A great gamble that paid off

In a time when base building strategy games were at their peak, and turn based strategies at more or less the same point, Commandos dared to be different: it was about the first game to do away with both of the aforementioned concepts and pioneer a genre of its own.
Missions in the game are based on real life operations that took place during World War II, mainly based in the European theatre of war with some missions in Africa. You control a squad of specialist commandos who each have their own skills. The aim is to use them in order to complete the mission objectives.
It's an unforgiving game, pitting your small squad of men against a seemingly endless supply of German soldiers, and you might spend more than a few hours on a mission, but the rewarding feeling of completing a mission is worth the suffering. If you are an impatient type, I suggest you avoid this game.
Graphically it might look a bit dated by today's standards, although the buildings and scenery in the game were always particularly well detailed, and the units are quite well animated. The way the game is presented will still impress, with old war footage, briefing screens, mission walkthroughs and wonderfully detailed end mission or score screens that were popular back in the decade it was released.
One issue I had with the game was the sound. The sound effects used just weren’t extremely varied, and vehicles all used the same monotonous drone. That and the vocal acknowledgements of the commandos were irritatingly repetitive as well and were not very clear at times in my opinion.
Fans of wartime strategy games couldn't do a lot better than to play this old classic.

95

Amazing Old Game

Totally amazing,
The good things:
the ambient
the soundtrack
the tools
you have to use your brain for this strategy game
Bad things:
Poor multiplayer
But you can enjoy this game as its finest in single player mode

85

A Possible Over-looked Classic

On it’s release, Commandos was way ahead of it’s time in terms of strategy games. Set in the throes of World War 2, you command an elite team of commandos, each with a very particular set of skills, through twenty missions to defeat the Nazis.
Beautiful graphics that, while a little dated, are still captivating and capture the feeling of whatever country the mission is set in. The difficulty level is uncompromising and will punish you if you make a tiny mistake - a throw-back to a previous generation (no regenerating health here folks). Simply put, it is a highly recommended game for those that have the patience and temperament to take a beating regularly and can look past it's age.

88

One of the best Spanish productions

Overall, a good game with strong plot in each episode. If you are not the kind to enjoy first-person-shooter game and want to immerse yourself to WWII environment, then this is the game for you. The graphics is as good as you can get during the period of 1998-99, and it requires patience and effort to deal with each episode in the game.

78

Difficult but rewarding

Commandos is a tough, tough game. You command up to 6 units, each with their own skills and abilities. You're up against dozens of enemy troops scattered across the map, and you must use everything at your disposal to make it through safely, accomplish the objectives, and all without suffering casualties. To do this you must set traps, distract guards, and use your units' abilities to their fullest. Stealth is key, and the game might end pretty quickly if you're seen.
It's very challenging (the first mission alone might take you numerous tries), but at the same time it's highly rewarding to execute a flawless plan. I'd also recommend Commandos 2 over this one if you're new, since I think that game is probably easier to get into.

97

Hail to the king!

This game would eat Duke Nukem for breakfast, even though he's not in the same genre. This is the RTS all half-decent RTS games made since are based on. There is no shortage of praise I could give this one.
Quite simply, your guys leave footprints. Yes, that was the coolest thing ever, I thought, back when I first played Commandos. The art style still holds up well, even all these years later. The graphics were pretty top-notch for their day, and still look good now.
Gameplay is awesome as usual with the Commandos games, with a small cadre of men being able to wipe out a far larger contingent through careful planning and light touches. Also, explosions, which usually aren't so light, but anyways, suffice to say, this is one heck of an experience.
Never once have I ran into any bugs or crashes, which is phenomenal, considering much of my play time has been clocked on a 64bit copy of Windows 7.

98

Classic Gem

The game itself is awesome, you control a special commando to do secret missions on the front. It's one of the most challenging games that I`ve played, because you have to think how to do the mission not only on kill people.

80

classic

Classic game, must have for every older player. The game is pretty hard (I couldn't finish it when it was first released) and you must learn on your mistakes to complete every mission. There are some problems with playing it on Win 7 and you must download speed-fix to be able to properly run the game, but it's worth it.

85

Fun and incredibly challenging, and really unique for its time.

This game was incredible at the time of release, featuring different characters with varied abilities all of which are needed to complete the different missions. The gameplay is a bit similar to Hitman, although with a top down view, different characters, and much more hostile areas. There are usually a few ways to complete missions considering the different characters you get, and as I said it can get very challenging, even early on.

90

The start of a revoultionary franchise!!

This franchise is revolutionary in many ways. Strategy games in those days were primarily focused on base-building and harvesting precious resources. Commandos on the other hand was the first series to completely abandon all those elements in the favor of more focused, tactical and action oriented gameplay. Instead of building large forces to take out the enemy bases. We were given command of a squad of 6 elite commandos each with there unique abilities and weapons, who were enough to take out greatest of enemy strongholds with the use of careful planning, stealth and brute force.
All in all a great series that is must for all RTS lovers who like something different and challenging. I must add that game is pretty old and graphics haven't aged very well. But the art style is still unique and beautiful. WW2 era locations have been faithfully recreated and sets the tone for intense and exhilarating gaming experience. A must have for all the strategy fans.

95

Classic RTS Unique Game

Since it was released to nowadays, Commandos has been a unique game, with many games made from it and sequels, but few reach its high quality. With some outdated graphics this game may seem not worthy, but this game has some features, such as its high difficulty and tactical addition that make this one a game which will grant you many hours of entertainment.

90

Great!

The year is 2011 and I've just finished Commandos for the first time in my life :D This game is amazing - it was a great experience and proves you don't need great 3d graphics to make a great game. It's difficult, requires a lot of planning, but getting rid of nazis gives great satisfaction. You control a group of Commandos. Each of them has different skills and abilities. Together they can cooperate to silently infiltrate enemy bases but that's your responsibility to command them wisely. Blow up the dam, sabotage a radar station, free the prisoners, destroy german submarines and blow up enemy HQ, launch torpedoes to sink the cruiser, assassinate german general and prevent the launch of V2 rockets - these are just some of your tasks. Reading about it is exciting. Being a part of these operations is a truly amazing experience.

80

An unique ww2 tactical experience in pc games

Commandos is a rare games whit few comparisons (only sequels, not at the level of this first game, and some imitations such as the good “Desperados”) in the pc games world. The players can control a squad of men in the ww2 missions whit an isometric view, using their equipment and abilities, peculiar of each commando. The missions are very detailed, sometimes very hard and you need an accurate precision to complete your goals. Nowadays Commandos is well know to be a masterpiece in the history of pc games, if you haven't played it yet... let's go!

70

Born of great series

Is worth buying first part of Commandos series, when we can buy amazing sequel? Yes. This game still offers lot of fun and complicated tasks, often more difficult than in second part of Commandos. Mayby graphic isn't so good now and characters can't do as much as in later games, but if you want to spend very long time with brain-challenged taks.

75

Commandos - still as good as ever

The first in the series and already awesome.
Granted, playing Commandos does require a lot of patience and if this is your first time with the series you may find it difficult to master the controls and skills of all the commandos, but once you do you're in one hell of a ride.
The levels are nicely varied and the tools and abilities that each member of the team has to offer make this gameplay far from boring. It has to be said that the fixed-point rotation of the camera can be a nuisance and takes some getting used to, but the possibility to view enemy's line of sight and the option to view multiple points of the map at once pretty much balances that out. Even though the difficulty is rather high, the graphics are visibly dated and the maximum resolution is low, the gameplay value still remains high and there is hardly another game outside this series that can offer similar experience.
Simply put, Commandos has that "special something" that may pull you in for hours, despite what you may think of the graphics or controls.